SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Western New England University men's soccer team fell to Wesleyan University, 4-0, Tuesday evening at Suprenant Field. The Cardinals scored three times in the opening 22 minutes and added another goal early in the second half to secure the nonconference victory.
Records:
Western New England: 1-3-3
Wesleyan University: 4-1-1
How It Happened:
First Half
- Wesleyan opened the scoring just 41 seconds into the contest when Niall Fergus converted a pass from Yousuf Saeed to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 advantage.
- The Cardinals continued to apply pressure, with Saeed recording two shots in the opening four minutes. Western New England registered its first two shots of the contest in the sixth and eighth minutes, with Tyler Lewis and Ryan Sunshine each recording an attempt.
- Wesleyan doubled its advantage in the 18th minute when Ford Cash found the back of the net off an assist from Aiden Londergan.
- Just under four minutes later, Julian Cauvin extended the Cardinals' lead to 3-0 with a goal assisted by Riley Harvey.
- Western New England goalkeeper Brendan L'Italien made a save in the 32nd minute on a shot from Harvey to keep the Golden Bears from falling further behind before halftime.
- The Cardinals finished the opening half with a 10-4 advantage in shots, while each team earned one corner kick. L'Italien recorded one save during the opening 45 minutes.
Second Half
- Wesleyan carried its three-goal advantage into the second half and added to it in the 50th minute. Saeed scored his second point of the night with a goal assisted by Cauvin, making it 4-0.
- Western New England goalkeeper Anthony Shea made three saves in the second half, including stops on shots from Saeed in the 54th minute, Connor Watson in the 68th minute, and Marwan Zalatimo in the 84th minute.
- The Golden Bears continued to look for an offensive opportunity, while Wesleyan produced several additional chances. Ford Cash struck the top woodwork in the 61st minute, marking his second shot to hit the frame of the goal.
- Western New England earned one corner kick in the second half, while Wesleyan recorded six. The Cardinals finished the match with a 10-4 edge in second-half shots.
- In the closing minutes, Western New England was awarded a penalty kick following a foul on the Wesleyan goalkeeper. Tyler Lewis took the attempt in the 88th minute, but the penalty kick was missed.
- Wesleyan held on for the 4-0 victory, completing the shutout while finishing with a 20-8 advantage in shots and a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.
Key Performances:
- Brendan L'Italien started in goal for the Golden Bears and played the opening 45 minutes, making one save while facing three goals.
- Anthony Shea played the entire second half in goal and recorded three saves, including stops on Wesleyan shots from Yousuf Saeed, Connor Watson and Marwan Zalatimo.
- Ryan Sunshine recorded two shots for Western New England, including an attempt in the opening minutes of the contest.
- Wesleyan was led offensively by Yousuf Saeed, who finished with one goal and one assist on four shots, including two shots on goal.
- Niall Fergus opened the scoring for the Cardinals and finished with one goal on two shots.
- Ford Cash added a goal and recorded a team-high four shots for Wesleyan, with two of his attempts hitting the woodwork.
- Julian Cauvin contributed one goal and one assist, while Riley Harvey and Aiden Londergan each recorded an assist.
- Wesleyan goalkeeper Sam Adiutori played the opening 79:04 and made one save, while Alex Hayward played the final 10:56 to help preserve the shutout.
Up Next:
The Golden Bears remain home for their next Conference of New England matchup against Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2:30 p.m.
